


Wait with Respect

by seungwanderlust



Series: inside instagram again [3]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26563591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungwanderlust/pseuds/seungwanderlust
Summary: Set right after the Psychorismas live, a conversation about how Seungwan didn't think she had any achievements for 2019.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Series: inside instagram again [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577848
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	Wait with Respect

“Is there something I did this year that I can be proud of?” Seungwan wondered to herself absently. They were walking back to the van to head back to their dorm after doing their comeback vlive for The Reve Festival Finale. Seulgi, Sooyoung, and Yerim were ahead of them, excited to get back to the dorm and order in some food for their Christmas celebration.

During their game of Jenga, one of the blocks that Seungwan drew asked her to boast about three things she did this year. Seungwan, being ever the perfectionist, couldn’t manage to think of anything in particular. Not without sounding too sure of herself, or like she was quoting achievements that weren’t actually notable in the first place. It was just embarrassing on her part.

Joohyun sidles up to her, immediately latching onto Seungwan’s waist. She tilts her head with a puzzled look; the brown locks of her hair fall softly from her shoulder. “I thought we’d already settled this earlier? You bleached your hair – which looks absolutely stunning on you by the way,” Joohyun adds before continuing, “did a lot of lives, and you made an instagram.”

 _Managed to open a social media account._ Yeah, no. Not really something Seungwan would count as an achievement. Self-help authors and therapists would say that small victories such as these were important, but there was something in her gifted child brain that wouldn’t let her accept.

There is an easy smile on Joohyun’s lips as her eyes stayed focused on her girlfriend, and the look brought a little warmth back into Seungwan’s chest. Joohyun was always so good to her at times like these. She didn’t push nor pull when Seungwan was having emotions like sadness or doubt. It had been proven before that pushing down feelings like these let them fester into larger, more detrimental problems.

Joohyun allows — or rather, encourages — Seungwan to simply _feel_.

And it didn’t hurt that she kept Seungwan company along the way.

“Is that something to be proud of though? I literally just made an account on social media,” Seungwan starts picking at her nails. A nervous tick from her teenage years that she hadn’t managed to get over. Joohyun moves her arm from her girlfriend’s waist to gently hold her hand, stopping the repetitive action.

“Yes, it is,” Joohyun supplied with no hesitation, accompanied with a stroke of her thumb on Seungwan’s own. Hopefully the tender warmth would help ease away her doubts.

“But you guys already made yours long before.”

The pout that manifests itself on Seungwan’s expressive lips is entirely too cute, but it was there for all the wrong reasons.

Sooyoung scoffs and regards them with a tone that says haughty, but her words are sincere. “That’s different though. Some things that may come easily to us can be hard for you, or vice versa.”

“Sooyoung, this is a private conversation,” Joohyun glares at the back of the younger woman’s head. Sooyoung looks back at them and returns the look with equal intensity.

“Well then act like it? I can hear you loud and clear from this far away,” Sooyoung gestured at the distance between them. She, Seulgi, and Yerim were a good few paces ahead of the two lovers.

An apology was on the top of Seungwan’s tongue because Sooyoung was probably pissed at her whining, but Joohyun somehow manages to sense it before she can vocalize the words: “Leave it. She’s just upset that you don’t give yourself room to breathe.”

Seungwan looks at her, scuffing her shoe against the concrete as she quietly asks, “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Upset… with me?”

It didn’t seem like Seungwan’s voice could get any smaller, but it did.

It wasn’t a novel line of questioning, but Joohyun takes a quiet breath before she speaks, “No.” Joohyun tightened her hold on Seungwan’s hand reassuringly, hoping to fortify her words with the gently added pressure. “But I wish I knew how to help you.”

Why was it that whenever Joohyun said something, Seungwan could almost always accept it as fact? Granted, that didn’t necessarily apply when the subject was Seungwan herself, but for literally anything else?

Bae Joohyun’s words were the truth.

“Well… okay. This year, I bleached my hair, did a lot of lives and got to interact with luvies, and I made my instagram account with a cute username.”

(Maybe if she said it out loud, she’d eventually start to think it’s true. Fake it until you make it, right?)

“A very clever username at that,” Joohyun smiles lovingly at her, before brushing back the said pretty blonde hair to place a small kiss on Seungwan’s cheek.

Yerim decides then at this moment to contribute to the conversation with Gen Z humor, “Unnie, you didn’t even comment on her instagram live.” Joohyun groaned internally. Were they still talking that loud or were the little pains at her side eavesdropping?

(Probably the latter.)

Joohyun only hesitated for a second, before replying in a shy voice, “I didn’t think I could type fast enough.” Seungwan could see that her normally unflappable girlfriend was blushing up to the tips of her little ears.

Somehow, someway, that reaction made Seungwan’s heart soar.

“It’s okay, Joohyun unnie. You posted that picture of us four.” It was Seungwan’s turn to shield Joohyun from teasing. After Yerim had settled down, Seungwan whispers just loud enough for the two of them to hear. “That was very sweet by the way. I hope it wasn’t too long waiting for me to make my account.”

Joohyun smiles, still a little flushed but happy. “Don’t be silly. I could have waited forever. Wait with respect, yeah?”

Seungwan takes that moment to loop her arm though Joohyun’s. “I’m very lucky that you’re so patient when I get like this.”

“You’re lucky? _I’m_ lucky,” Joohyun says cheekily. There is a momentary lull before Joohyun speaks again, like she was catching a breath, “I’m adding another thing to your achievements this year.” The flush from earlier returned with intensity. “You did a solo dance at La Rouge,” Joohyun teased with a brush of her fingers on the tiny little hairs at the back of Seungwan’s head. “It was so hot. I couldn’t keep my eyes away.”

“I don’t think that counts. That’s just my job,” Seungwan flushes vividly and keeps her gaze from meeting with Joohyun.

“It was your job to get me riled up right in the middle of our concert?” Her left eyebrow was arched up and she had a tiny pleased smile. Joohyun’s hand makes her way into Seungwan’s shirt. Her nails lightly raked along skin; her voice hummed low and indulgent into Seungwan’s ear. “Then by all means, please keep doing excellent work.”

“O-kay, I think this conversation is heading into dangerous territory,” Seulgi suddenly appears behind them and clasps each of their shoulders with a grounding hand. The couple instantly come apart: Seungwan jumps and Joohyun squeaks. Seulgi laughs kindly, “We’re here at the van.” She accentuates her point by opening the sliding door for them.

“You can continue this at home. Please stop stripping each other with your eyes,” Seulgi says with a simple smile, motioning for them to go inside so they can leave the agency already.

Tonight, Yerim asked to ride shotgun, and Seulgi and Sooyoung took the two separate seats of the first row. So that left Seungwan and Joohyun to ride at the back. Those three definitely conspired and it was so unabashedly thoughtful of them.

Seungwan and Joohyun sat close together and held hands the entire way home.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be published for Wendy's birthday, I got the idea immediately after the live ended, but I lost the drive to write after The Incident. Now that she's back and starting to get back up, I thought it was okay to finish this fic and put it out there. I hope you enjoyed reading.
> 
> twitter: seungwanderlust


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